Nbc Says Carvey Is Staying Put And Has A Contract To Prove It

Television - TV topics

December 21, 1992

Executives at NBC and CBS were all abuzz last week, fervently denying that not only might NBC lose David Letterman to CBS, but it could also lose Dana Carvey, the Saturday Night Live star who has been touted as the one who would replace Letterman in the 12:35 a.m. time slot on NBC, if and when.

An NBC spokesman stressed: ''We have a signed contract with Dana Carvey that makes him exclusive to us at least through November 1993. We're currently in discussion with Dana and his people about other projects, hoping our relationship with him will extend even further.''

NBC has until Jan. 16 to make a counterproposal to Letterman, who has been offered $16 million a year, and the 11:30 p.m. time slot, by CBS.

'The Hat Squad' loses time slot to "Dr. Quinn"

Starting in January, CBS will move The Hat Squad from Wednesdays to 10 p.m. Saturdays, where it will join the new Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (starring Jane Seymour) at 8 p.m. and semi-new Raven (Jeffrey Meek and Lee Majors) at 9 p.m. Space Rangers, a sci-fi comedy set in the year 2104, starring Linda Hunt, will fill the 8 p.m. Wednesday slot vacated by The Hat Squad beginning Jan. 6 CBS/NBC now at odds over "Lucy and Desi"

The folks at NBC are mad at the folks at CBS for something other than the jostling over David Letterman.

On Feb. 18, NBC will air a tribute to Lucille Ball composed entirely of old Lucy and Desi Arnaz home movies. But don't expect to see clips from the TV show I Love Lucy. CBS has refused to give the rights to air 4 minutes of scenes.

Lucy and Desi: The Home Movies, which is the special's working title, includes scenes of the two hanging out around the pool, playing with the kids and so on.

Greg Gumbel gaining plenty of broadcast time

Greg Gumbel will be the main man for CBS coverage of the 1994 Winter Olympics at Lillehammer, Norway. Also look for him to handle play-by-play for the network's baseball coverage this season. He'll team with analyst Jim Kaat. Sean McDonough and Tim McCarver will continue as the lead baseball crew.

Women big-time viewers of prime-time television

Is prime-time TV for women only? Apparently it's moving in that direction, according to a Satellite Orbit Magazine study. Nearly 90 percent of NBC, ABC and CBS prime-time shows pull in more female than male viewers, primarily because many programs are geared to women, says the study.

TV executives admit the networks are trying to attract more female viewers, because advertisers believe women usually have the spending power at home. The study, which is in the January issue of the satellite-TV magazine, shows the percentages of male and female viewers for each prime-time program.

CBS' Knots Landing has the highest percentage of women viewers (69 percent), with ABC's top-rated Roseanne right behind with 60 percent. ABC's Monday Night Football ranks first among men, drawing a 67 percent-male audience, according to the study, which is based on the Nielsen ratings during the first two months of the fall TV season.

New freshman class for "Saved by the Bell"

NBC, which has had great success the past few years on Saturday mornings with the live-action high-school-set Saved by the Bell, has ordered up a full season of a sequel series, Saved by the Bell: The New Generation. The comedy series will again be set in Bayside High, but will feature a whole new cast of freshman students. The show arrives next fall.

The current group of six teen-agers, who arrived with the show in September 1989, just graduated. Peter Engel, who developed and was executive producer of Saved by the Bell, will also be executive producer of The New Generation. While all the original kid stars are moving on, Dennis Haskins, who plays Mr. Belding, the school principal, will remain a regular in the new series. Some of the original cast may return for guest shots.